The 10 signs your staff member is about to resign

Worried your staff member is about to resign? The below are signs that they’re probably thinking about it.

If one of these behaviours surfaces there is generally no cause for alarm, but if you see a cluster of them happening then it’s time to investigate and prepare for the worst — particularly if what you are seeing is out of character for the employee.

The 10 signs

1. Reduction in discretionary effort

   Choosing to do above the minimum required is strongly linked to levels of engagement. An employee who starts to clock-watch and stops going the extra mile is often one of the first signs that they have one foot out the door, as they might be asking themselves “Why should I invest any more time/effort than the bare minimum when I won’t be here to see the results?”.

2. Increased tension with their manager

   An employee who sees that their time is up often becomes more indifferent and more confrontational to their manager. Emboldened by the new found sense that “the company doesn’t own me” means that it is common for an employee to start challenging and pushing back on instructions, where they previously may have been happy to do what is assigned to them.

3. Withdrawal from social events and groups

   Employees who are planning an exit may start pulling out of Friday night drinks and team building events, in an effort to soften the blow for when they break the news that they are leaving. Employees can also often become less sociable with colleagues that they are normally close to, such as no longer having lunch with them.

4. Hesitance to commit to mid and long-term commitments

   Employees who are evasive about future annual leave and career discussions may be doing so because they are imagining working elsewhere. People generally don’t want to feel like they are breaking a promise and employees in this situation are no different; they don’t want to invent plans that they have no intentions of fulfilling.

5. Lack of interest in company objectives or plans

   A loss of interest in the direction of the company and disconnection from the “bigger picture” is an indicator that an employee is disenfranchised and searching for an alternative employer.

6. Increased frustration with colleagues and processes

   Sudden irritation at standard processes (the approval process for annual leave; the way car parks are allocated) can be associated with an employee who feels like they are fast approaching the end of the road. Verbal cues such as more frequent swearing, blaming and bemoaning of colleagues are also signs to look out for.

7. Increased absenteeism and poor punctuality

   Last minute leave requests (read interview appointments), longer lunch breaks and increases in personal leave often precede an employee departing.

8. Speaking up about workplace issues

   Becoming noticeably more/less vocal in pointing out workplace issues and suggestions for improvement often means that an employee has bigger things on their mind.

9. More time on mobile devices and social media

   Increased checking of social media feeds, personal email and activity on professional networking forums such as LinkedIn can be signs an employee is in flight mode.

10. Slowing down in responsiveness and productivity

    Slower response times to emails, lower productivity and missing deadlines could mean that an employee has checked out and is biding their time before they say au revoir.